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Jeff MacFarlane’s Rough Road to 203 Mini Transat
Jeffrey Macfarlane, 31, grew up in Michigan then spent over a decade in offshore racing, with a long stretch in Australia on boats like the well-known maxi Wild Oats. In 2012, he crossed the Atlantic twice, on the Open 60, … Continue reading
Columbia River Lightship and Buoy Back on View
The entrance to the Columbia River was the site of the first lightship on the west coast in 1872, and the final version (WLV-604) was also the last to be retired in 1979, after 28 years of service. The hull … Continue reading
Posted in Nautical History, shipping, Worth Reading
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2019: Kitsap County’s Ferry Is First Hybrid
When it comes to catamaran ferries, Washington’s boat builders lead the nation! Operators in Hawaii, California, and Alaska rely on our experienced commercial yards to provide them with the latest fast ferry designs from the world’s leading naval architects. During … Continue reading
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2020: NW Fast Ferry Launches
Mavrik to Build Second Fast Ferry for WETAThe San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) has exercised its option for a second 300-passenger high-speed ferry from Mavrik Marine of LaConner, Washington at a base price of $14.8 million. … Continue reading
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Foiling Survey Boats Keep Grain Ships Moving on Columbia River
For the last year, the west coast shipping news has been dominated by the huge fleet of container ships waiting to unload Asian imports in southern California, but the media spotlight may soon turn to a very different cargo—American wheat … Continue reading
Posted in Commercial craft, Shipyards, Worth Reading
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Drake in Oregon? The Mystery Continues……
Hardly a year goes by without a reconstruction of a historic sailing ship visiting the Columbia River. The Lady Washington is a frequent visitor, but I can also recall going on board Captain Cook’s Endeavour, and even meeting Captain Bligh … Continue reading
Polar Research Schooner Tara Visits Astoria
It was back in July 2018 in the heart of the summer on the lower Columbia River when I spotted a big schooner-rigged sailing vessel at the East Mooring Basin in Astoria. From a distance, I could see it was … Continue reading
Posted in Marine Science and Education, Sailing Ships, Worth Reading
Tagged icebreaking schooner, tara
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Solo Canoeist Neal Moore Crosses America
On March 1, 2019– the day after the splendidly rowdy and irreverent Fisher Poets Gathering brought a hundred or so characters to the Hanthorn Cannery Museum in Astoria–another story teller showed up at the museum on Pier 39 at the … Continue reading
Posted in NW boats and boaters, Sailors & Yachts, Worth Reading
Tagged little wake, neal moore
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Cleveland Rockwell–NW Coast Surveyor & Artist
Cleveland Rockwell had a successful 19th-century career in the military and the federal Coastal Survey. Educated as a cartographer and mechanical engineer, Rockwell started his professional life with the U.S. Coastal Survey, collecting survey data and drawing maps. In 1861, … Continue reading